Navigo transport pass to move to smartphones by 2019

The Passe Navigo is the transport pass used in the Ile-de-France region, and allows access to public transport - including buses and the Métro - in and around central Paris and its surrounding towns, including key sites such as the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, Disneyland Paris, and Versailles.

The new smartphone-enabled service will be tested from the second half of 2018, and then - should all go well - be rolled out across the network by summer 2019.

Over 3 million users will have access to the new service, which is aimed at reducing queues at ticket offices and machines.

As well as being able to top up their pass from home - a service that has been available since 2013 - from 2019, users will also be able to use their smartphones to validate or renew their pass, alert their employer to any relevant travel expenses, and change their payment card details.

Ile-de-France residents can already buy new Navigo cards online, submitting proof of residence and a good-quality photo showing their face.

Anyone who is not resident in the region but wishes to buy a card - if they work in Ile-de-France, are doing work experience, or travel there frequently, for example - must write to the Agence Navigo, fill in a form showing proof of their employer or work experience placement, and send a recent ID photo.